ALBANY -- An employee of a Bethlehem restaurant pleaded guilty Wednesday to felony charges in an identity theft case, according to the Albany County District Attorney's office.

Heng Li, 27, of Brooklyn, who worked at the Golden Town Buffet on Route 9W in Glenmont, pleaded guilty to second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument and first-degree scheme to defraud before Judge Stephen Herrick.

On Aug. 5, Li was found with a credit card skimming device and a counterfeit Michigan identification card. According to the DA's office, Li used the device to steal personal identification information from 39 credit cards.

Bethlehem Police, Secret Service, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, State Police and Bethlehem police participated in the investigation.

LI was under an active deportation order when he was arrested, as were three other employees who were in the restaurant at the time, the DA's office said.

Li remains in custody and faces up to 2 1/3 to 7 years in state prison when he is sentenced Dec. 11.